Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: Rural pastor TJ Freeman explores what it means to feel the Holy Spirit's presence. He emphasizes that spiritual conviction often surpasses fleeting emotions. Through personal stories and biblical insights, he encourages trusting in God's promises and recognizing divine work in our lives, even when feelings are ambiguous.

Key Points:

• Do you feel left out? Maybe you go to church and feel as if you are missing something. Fortunately, Romans 8:16 helps us see that being filled by the Spirit is less about an actual feeling and more about a conviction.
• The Fickleness of Emotions: Emotions are constantly changing. They are unreliable and unpredictable. They can be caused by various biological processes and outside circumstances. The Spirit is unchanging and promises that it is always with us Christians.

Listener Takeaways:

• Study the Bible. The more you know God's Word, the more you will remember and rely on it when your emotions take a turn. Knowing God's Word helps us wait on the Lord in difficult times.
• Don't measure the presence of the Holy Spirit by your feelings, but by the Word of God, by the work of God in your heart, and by His faithfulness.
• Reflect on your desires and your actions. Can you see some evidence over time that you're becoming more like Christ? That is evidence of the Holy Spirit.
  
  

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Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into the common anxieties of showing hospitality, particularly in small towns. Through scriptural insights and practical advice, TJ encourages Christians to see hospitality not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to live out their faith, break down barriers, and experience joy.

Key Points:

• What If My House Isn't Clean? Hospitality isn't about showing off, instead it is actually about living out your faith in a way that breaks down some barriers and reflects God's grace to those around you.
• Isn't It My Home? Everything we have is a gift from God! Our home, our resources, our personalities and even our time. We invest what God has given to us for kingdom purposes.

Listener Takeaways:

• Think of one person, or family, that you could get together with this week. It could be a neighbor, a peer, a coworker, or a fellow church member!
• Be creative with your hospitality. You can meet with people in a park, a coffee, shop, or have people over for a game night.
  
  

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Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, delves into the concerns and misunderstandings surrounding the Lord's Supper. He explores who should partake in it, the meaning behind the practice, and how it should be a joyous, communal act for believers.

Key Points:

• Who is Communion For? Communion is for believers. We are taking the Lord's Supper together, placing our hope in work of Christ, instead of our own works. It is also for believers gathered together in local churches, not 'lone-ranger' Christians.
• What is Communion For? Communion is like an ongoing Baptism. It is a symbolic reminder of our need for Christ. Just as God made us have a need for food, we have a need to go to him again and again.

Listener Takeaways:

• Run to communion table with Joy. Praise the God who saved you.
• If you feel burdened by your sin, so much so that you feel as if you cannot take the Lord's Supper, talk with your pastor. Remember that communion is a reminder of all of our need for God's grace.
• When you take the Lord's Supper, look to three things. Look back to the sacrifice that Christ made. Look around you to the people taking the supper with you. Lastly, look forward, in hope, to the supper feast of the lamb!
  
  
  

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